Science & Technology Content

Transparent Worms with Glowing Proteins May Help Fertility Treatments

Andy Fell — November 21, 2024 - 2:03pm

The development of maternal egg cells is pivotal for survival – but also precarious. During meiosis, the DNA-containing chromosomes can easily be broken or lost, causing infertility, miscarriage or genetic disorders like Down syndrome. Scientists have struggled to study these crucial cellular events in humans and other mammals.

Making High-yielding Rice Affordable and Sustainable

Andy Fell — November 20, 2024 - 10:53am

Rice is a staple food crop for more than half the world’s population, but most farmers don’t grow high-yielding varieties because the seeds are too expensive. Researchers from the University of California’s Davis and Berkeley campuses have identified a potential solution: activating two genes in rice egg cells that trigger their development into embryos without the need for fertilization, which would efficiently create high-yielding clonal strains of rice and other crops.

Asthma May Place Children at Risk of Memory Difficulties, New Research Finds

Andy Fell — November 12, 2024 - 2:41pm

Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published in Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Assessing the Real Climate Costs of Manufacturing

Andy Fell — October 24, 2024 - 11:42am

Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis. Accounting for these costs in market prices could encourage progress toward climate-friendly alternatives.

Catalyzing Change: Engineering Enzymes to Meet Human Needs

Jocelyn C Anderson — October 01, 2024 - 9:05am

Enzyme engineering is key to the future of human health. The Design2Data program teaches students to solve problems in the food, energy and health industries.

�ٺ��Ƶ to Launch Engineering Master’s Degree in Medical Device Development

Bill Kisliuk — September 11, 2024 - 9:00am

The �ٺ��Ƶ Department of Biomedical Engineering is launching a new nine-month master’s degree program in medical device development at Aggie Square, the expansive innovation district the university will open in Sacramento in 2025. The program combines hands-on training with entrepreneurial expertise that aims to fast-track careers in industry.

Half of Uber, Lyft Trips Replace More Sustainable Options

Katherine E Kerlin — August 28, 2024 - 9:00am

More than 50% of ride-hailing trips taken by surveyed riders in California replaced more sustainable forms of transportation, found a �ٺ��Ƶ study.

LZ Experiment Sets New Record in Search for Dark Matter

Andy Fell — August 26, 2024 - 3:43pm

Figuring out the nature of dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up most of the mass in our universe, is one of the greatest puzzles in physics. New results from the world’s most sensitive dark matter detector, LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), have narrowed down possibilities for one of the leading dark matter candidates: weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs.

New NSF Center for Pandemic Insights

Katherine E Kerlin — August 22, 2024 - 8:00am

�ٺ��Ƶ to lead NSF Center for Pandemic Insights with $18M in funding, blending expertise from across the U.S. and 4 �ٺ��Ƶ powerhouse schools and colleges.

Brain-Computer Interface Allows Man With ALS to ‘Speak’

Andy Fell — August 14, 2024 - 3:23pm

A brain-computer interface (BCI) developed by �ٺ��Ƶ Health accurately translates brain signals into speech. The device implanted in the brain of a man with ALS is the most accurate system of its kind.